Reversal means for regenerative coke oven batteries



Feb. 14, 1961 P. VAN ACKEREN 2,971,895

REVERSAL MEANS FOR REGENERATIVE COKE OVEN BATTERIES Filed March 12, 1958 I INVENTORM Paw. vmv 4cv 5z1s 2 x 7 H ,4 H4, i 2' BY 1 g w 6 l l 1 )W 6 J21} H 5- 5 a flTTo/PAKEX' United States Patent REVERSAL MEANS FOR REGENERATIVE COKE OVEN BATTERIES Paul Van Ackeren, Essen, Germany, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Koppers Company, lnc., Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 12, 1958, Ser. No. 721,060

2 Claims. (Cl. 202141) The invention relates to a reversal means for regenerative coke oven batteries which have subdivided adjacent regenerator sole flues, and more particularly those in superposed relation, which reversal means comprises a regenerator flow reversal box having. valves operated by the reversal winch or machine for the battery for separate regulation of the combustion media to be supplied to and outflow of waste gas to be withdrawn from each regenerator section by the superposed sole flues in unison.

It is known that the gaseous materials introduced into and discharged from the regenerators can be better regulated for the purpose of uniform distribution through the regenerators by means of sectionally subdivided regenerators and sole flues subdivided to be coordinated with each regenerator section. The reversal means for each of the regenerator sections are constructed in such manner, according to the present invention, that the subdivided sole flues of a regenerator are individually regulable but that all flow box reversal means of the regenerator battery are mutually operated from the same reversal winch or machine by means of a special reversing rod or pulling means. The flow box reversal means are so constructed and arranged relative to the superposed sole flues that, when operated by the reversal winch or machine on reversing the directionof heating, they cause a corresponding greater throttling of the total cross-section of the superposed regenerator sole flues when operable for supplying relatively smaller volumes of combustion medium, but they release a greater part of the complete cross-section of the sole flues when operable for withdrawing waste gas in the larger amounts corresponding to the larger amounts of combustion products exhausted by a regenerator.

It has been indicated that the subdivision of the regenerator in two sections for the purpose of uniform distribution of the inflowing gases charged for combustion and the outflowing gases discharged as gaseous combustion product materials, is suflicient when the cross-section of both sole flue sections is correspondingly measured and is adjusted to the diflerent amounts of materials to be charged and withdrawn respectively from the regenerator.

The object of the invention is to provide the reversal means in such coke oven batteries, constructed in known manner, and having regenerators with separate sole flues for supplying and withdrawing the gaseous materials, with an essentially simplifiedflow box regulating and reversal means which is operable by a conventional reversing machine or winch and the reversal means coordinated with each regenerator without a special pulling means other than the usual one connected with the reversal winch or machine for operating the waste heat valve.

This problem is solved according to the invention by arranging in the usual regenerator flow reversal boxes in the plane of the horizontal dividing wall of the superposed regenerator sole flues, for movement alternately into the vicinity of the flow path-of first one and then the other of both sole flue sections, a regulating valve which is pivotable around a horizontal axis on a shaft which is connected outside the flow box by a rod, pulling means, or the like, with the drive means of the accompanying reversal means for effecting the flow reversal of air or lean gas and waste gas through the superposed sole channels and their flow boxes.

According to the invention the regulating valve is operated in unison with the motion of the air valve and the waste-gas valve in the case of heating the coke oven with rich gas, and only in unison with the motion of the air and waste heat valves of the flow boxes solely for air, and the lean gas and waste-heat valve of the regenerator boxes solely for lean gas in the case of heating the coke oven with lean gas, so that there is required only one regulating valve and one connection of the latter with the drive means for the air valve or the waste gas valve of the regenerator box. According to the invention the regulating valve is so arranged that, on opening the air valve or the lean-gas valve to a regenerator flow box, the regulating valve is moved into the vicinity of the sole flue section coordinated with the inner part or section of the regenerator to throttle the greater part of the cross-section of this lower sole flue section and releases the complete cross-section of the upper sole flue section coordinated with the outer part of the same regenerator. The supply of combustion media is made through both sole sections in this manner. On opening the waste heat gas valve, the regulating valve ismoved into the vicinity of the upper sole flue section coordinated with the outer part or section of the regenerator to throttle the greater part of the crosssection of this upper sole flue section and releases the complete cross-section of the lower sole flue section coordinated with the inner part or section of the regenerator. The withdrawal or ofl-flow of waste heat gas from the regenerator is made through both sole sections in this manner. The combustion medium on inflow has the tendency to flow through the part of the regenerator at the down stream end of the sole flue in rather larger amount, and on outflow there is the tendency, on withdrawing the waste combustion gas for such gas to flow out through the outer part or section of the regenerator in rather larger amounts to the inlet side of the sole flue. Accordingly, the lower flue section is throttled in greater part and the upper flue section completely released of throttling as aforesaid, when the air or lean gas valves are opened and the waste heat valve is concurrently closed, to offset the tendency to larger inflow down stream during inflow, and the upper sole flue section is throttled in greater part and the complete cross-section of the lower sole flue section is released, when the air or lean gas valves are closed and the waste heat valve is concurrently opened, to offset the tendency for larger waste gas outflow from the regenerator to the inlet ends of the sole flue of regenerator.

The swinging radius of the regulating valve around its pivotal horizontal axis is regulated, according to the invention, in synchronization with the cross-section of both sole flue sections, so that on withdrawing the waste gas the effective free cross-section of the sole flues of both sections corresponds to the larger total eflective free crosssectional area required for the larger amounts of waste gas, in comparison with the smaller free cross-sectional area required for flow of the combustion media to be supplied, whereas the total eflective free cross-sectional area of the superposed sole flue sections is correspondingly throttled to the smaller free cross-sectional area required on supplying the combustion media to the regenerator.

The invention contemplates having the regulating valve connected through its shaft, by means of a rod or a pulling means, directly with the drive shaft of the reversal 3 means for reversal of the air or waste gas valves of the reversal box.

According to another characteristic of the invention the regulating'valve is connected by a rod with a rotary shaft for the air valve, whereby the regulating valve is swung downwardly under its own weight during the lifting of the air valve and it is swung upwardly under the rather heavy weight of the air valve on closing the air valve and opening the waste heat valve.

The effective free cross-sectional area of both sole flue sections is regulated by the regulating valve according to the invention by adjustment of the length of stroke of its operating lifting rod, for example by means of nuts adjustable along the length of the lifting rod.

According to another characteristic of the invention the effective free cross-sectional area of both sole flue sections is regulated independently of one another by regulating the cross-section of the upper sole flue section by adjusting the nut arranged on the lifting rod, and by regulating the effective free cross-sectional area of the lower sole flue by a member which is outwardly adjustable on the housing of the reversal box and on which member an arm of the regulating valve rests in the case of downward motion.

The invention also consists in connecting the rotary shaft of the air valve of the reversal means, when the flow reversal boxes are provided with a lean gas valve operable by the same reversal means, with the rod of the regulating valve by a disconnectable coupling so that on operation for heating with lean gas, during which the air valve must remain closed, the connection of the rod of the regulated valve with the air valve is broken so that only the rotary shaft for the air valve, but not the air valve, is operated in the reversal, and the connection is restored on operation for heating with rich gas.

The invention is not limited in all its aspects to a reversal means for superposed sole flue sections, but is equally applicable to operation with the regulating valve shaft in a vertical plane for adjacent sole flues side by side laterally rather than one above the other.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a reversal means for coke oven regenerators as constructed according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a partial horizontal section along line 11-11 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of a section through -a coke oven battery as contemplated by the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a modified form of valve hook-up.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view illustrating the difference in cross-sectional area of the soleflues during inflow and outflow.

The coke oven battery 4 as conventional comprises a battery of coking chambers with intermediate heating flues and a battery of regenerators A in two sets B and C operable in alternation with each other for concurrent inflow and outflow.

Each regenerator is provided with two sole flue sections 2, 3 in superposed relation with a regenerator flow reversal box 1 for each regenerator.

The flow reversal valve box 1 for each regenerator is connected with its two sole flue sections 2, 3 in the coke oven battery 4, illustrated only in part. The regenerators are not illustrated in full in the drawing. The upper sole flue section 2 lies beneath the outer section of its regenerator on the inlet side of the sole flues, whereas the lower sole flue section 3 is connected to the inner section of the regenerator lying therebeyond.

The reversal valve box 1 is provided at the bottom with a waste gas outlet 5' which leads to a waste gas flue not illustrated in the drawing. The waste gas outlet 5 is provided with an orifice plate and is closed by means ofa waste heat valve 6 which can be raised or lowered.

' upper end of rod The front of the reversing box 1 is provided with an air inlet which is closed by means of an air valve 7.

A pedestal bearing 9 in which a horizontal shaft 10 is arranged is placed on the housing of reversal valve box 1. Shaft 10 is rigidly connected with a lever 11 which is moved by a pull rod '12, connected with the battery reversing machine or winch. Rod 12 is moved along the coke oven battery in both directions with a to-andfro movement during the regenerative reversal process, at times in one and at other times in the other direction. Segment 13 on which a chain 14 is fastened is also rigidly connected with shaft 10. This chain 14 acts on the 15 of the waste heat valve 6 in such manner that the waste heat valve 6 is raised or lowered on moving pull rod. 12 in one direction and then in the other direction by the reversing winch. A lever 16, which acts through a chain 17, is connected with the air valve 7, and is also connected with shaft 10. .The chain 17 is connected with the end of a lever 38 rigidly mounted on shaft 8 of air valve 7.

Air valve 7 is pivotably mounted on the shaft 8 by a lever 37 articulately connected with it. Shaft 8 is rotatably mounted in stationary bearings 8a of the hous- :ing of the reversal means.

Air valve 7 and waste heat valve 6 are connected with shaft 10 and turned by pull rod 12 in such manner that, when air valve 7 is closed, waste heat valve 6 is opened, as illustrated in Fig. 1 and viceversa.

A solid horizontal dividing wall 19 is arranged in the housing of the reversal box in the plane of the dividing wall 18 which subdivides the sole flues into superposed sections 2, 3. A regulating valve 21 which is pivotable into the path of flow of both sole flue sections 2, 3, is arranged at the outer end of this dividing wall 19 on a horizontal shaft 20. Shaft 20 is arranged in bearings 22 of the housing of the reversal box. Shaft 20 passes through bearing 22 on one side. On this end of the shaft 20 there is firmly arranged a lever 23' on which a lifting rod 25 articulately acts at 24. Lifting rod 25 passes through a universal joint 26 of a lever 27 which is rigidly connected with shaft 8 of air valve 7.

A threaded nut 28 is adjustable on lifting rod 25. Nut 28 limits the extent of lifting of rod 25 and consequently regulates the extent of the lifting of valve 21 and thus regulates the cross-section of the sole flue section 2.

As apparent from Fig. 1, on operation of shaft 10 for closing air valve 7, regulating valve 21 is swung upwardly in the path of flow through sole flue section 2, when the waste heat valve 6 is simultaneously opened by rod 15. If air valve 7 is raised by shaft 10, whereupon waste heat valve 6 is closed, then regulating valve 21 moves downwardly into the path of flow of the lower sole flue section 3, as illustrated at 29 with broken lines.

The complete cross-section of the lower sole flue section 3, which is connected with the inner regenerator section, is released when waste heat valve 6 is open as shown in the illustrated position of Fig. 1, whereby the tendency for greater outflow in the outer regenerator section, as in the case of discharge of the waste gas therefrom, is stopped, so that the Waste gas flowing out to waste gas outlet 5 through the upper sole flue section 2 is throttled to such extent that the waste gas is essentially uniformly distributed through the entire regenerator. The inverse tendency of the combustion media flow in rather larger amounts through thelower sole flue section 3 to the. inner regenerator section is stopped by complete release of the cross-section of the upper sole flue section 2 and throttling of the lower sole flue section 3 by the reverse operation of rod 12, so that a uniform distribution of gas through the coke oven flue system is also achieved in this direction of flow.

For example, the throttling of the cross-section of lower sole flue section 3 is regulated by a horizontally movable member 30 which is fastenable on the outside of the housing andformsthelimit for the downward movement of an arm 31 rigidly connected with shaft 20. In the vicinity of regulating valve 21, the housing of reversal box 1 has at the top an opening, which can be gastightly closed by a cover 32, for accessibility to the regulating valve 21. The regulating valve 21 is restricted towards the bottom by resting arm 23 on an inclined surface 30a of member 30.

In the case of heating with lean gas the supply of lean gas and the discharge of waste gas are regulated in the same manner. At present it is generally customary to construct the coke oven batteries with heating means for heating the lines alongside the coking chambers with rich gas as well as with lean gas preheated by the regcnerators. For this purpose a reversal means with an air supply valve is provided for each lean gas regenerator but it does not participate in the reversal process in the case of heating with lean gas.

In Fig. 2 such a reversal valve box 1 for lean gas is illustrated with a connection 41 for the supply of lean gas. A coupling part 33 is arranged for axial movement on shaft 8 of air valve 7 and it is fastened thereto by a screw 34. A coupling part 35 is rigidly connected with the bearing of forked lever 37 which bearing is arranged loosely on shaft 8 and connected to lift valve 7. By disconnecting coupling part 33, air valve 7 no longer participates in the rotary motion of shaft 8 so that air valve 7 remains closed on heating with lean gas. Lean gas is then introduced to the reversal valve box by a line connected with connection 41 and not illustrated in the drawing.

Furthermore, a counterweight 36 is connected with lever 38 by means of a screw 40. The other end of counterweight 36 is supported on a lever 39 which is rigidly mounted on shaft 8 for movement therewith. This counterweight rises and falls independently of lever 37 and thereby swings upwardly when regulating valve 21 is swung downwardly by rod 12 into the path of sole flue section 3 and provides the weight to swing the valve 21 into the path of section 2 when the weight of the closed air valve is no longer effective therefor in the case of heating with lean gas.

Regulating valve 21 can also be reversed directly, as shown in Fig. 4, by shaft of pedestal bearing 9. A segment 13' connected with pull chain 14 is arranged on shaft 10 in this case, whereby the adjustable pull means chain 14' acts on lever 23 of the regulating valve 21. Instead of a segment with a pull means such as chain 14' it is also possible to arrange on shaft 10 a lever (not illustrated) with an adjustable rod acting on lever 23 of the regulating valve 21.

In operation, in one regenerative phase, both sole flue sections 2, 3 of a regenerator B operates for inflow, while the sole flue sections 2, 3 of regenerator C, act for outflow. On inflow, the area D, Fig. 5, of the sole flue sections 2, 3, for a regenerator B is less than the area B for concurrent outflow through the sole fine sections 2, 3, for a regenerator C. On reversal, the area for inflow for regenerator C is less than the area for outflow for regenerator B.

The invention as herein-above set forth is embodied in on particular forms of construction but may be variously embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Reversal means for regenerative coke oven batteries which have subdivided adjacent regenerator sole flue sec tions comprising a regenerator flow reversal box having a communicable connection for said sections and valves operated in unison by a reversing winch through a drive means to open and close in alternation for inflow of combustion media to and outflow of waste heat gases from the interior of the flow box for separate regulation of the combustion media supplied to and the waste heat gases withdrawn from the adjacent subdivided regenerator sections of a battery of regenerators, characterized by: a regulating valve arranged in the box and pivoted on a shaft in the plane between the adjacent regenerator sole flue sections, in the vicinity of the communicable connection for both sole flue sections for movement into the path of flow between either sole flue section and the combustion media and waste heat gas valves, the shaft of said regulating valve being operatively connected outside the box with the drive means for the waste heat gas and combustion media valves to completely open the path of flow through each flue section and partially close the flow path through the other in alternation in correspondence with the alternate opening and closing of the waste heat valve for the flow reversal box, and in which the operative connection between the drive means and the shaft of the regulating valve comprises a rod fixedly connected to said shaft and having an abutment member adjustable along the same, and a member of said drive means freely slidable along said rod into and out of abutting relation with said abutment member to move the same in one direction only on abutting engagement therewith to move the regulating valve completely out of the path of one sole flue section and partially across the path or" the other sole flue section in alternation, in correspondence with the alternate opening and closing of said combustion media and waste heat valves.

2. Reversal means as claimed in claim 1, and in which the regulating valve is mounted with its shaft in a horizontal plane for controlling the flow to and from adjacent sole channel sections in superposed relation, and in which the abutting member which is adjustable on the lifting rod limits the lifting motion of the regulating valve to regulate the upper sole flue section; and for regulating the lower sole flue section a support member is provided which is outwardly adjustable on the housing of the flow box, and an arm on the regulating valve abuts the support member to limit the downward movement of the regulating valve across the path of the lower sole flue section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,227,518 Crossen May 22, 1917 1,920,911 Olsson Aug. 1, 1933 2,672,437 Otto Mar. 16, 1954 2,872,385 Hartewig et al Feb. 3, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 439,474 Great Britain Dec. 6, 1935 

1. REVERSAL MEANS FOR REGENERATIVE COKE OVEN BATTERIES WHICH HAVE SUBDIVIDED ADJACENT REGENERATOR SOLE FLUE SECTIONS COMPRISING A REGENERATOR FLOW REVERSAL BOX HAVING A COMMUNICABLE CONNECTION FOR SAID SECTIONS AND VALVES OPERATED IN UNISON BY A REVERSING WINCH THROUGH A DRIVE MEANS TO OPEN AND CLOSE IN ALTERNATION FOR INFLOW OF COMBUSTION MEDIA TO AND OUTFLOW OF WASTE HEAT GASES FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE FLOW BOX FOR SEPARATE REGULATION OF THE COMBINATION MEDIA SUPPLIED TO AND THE WASTE HEAT GASES WITHDRAWN FROM THE ADJACENT SUBDIVIDED REGENERATOR SECTIONS OF A BATTERY OF REGENERATORS, CHARACTERIZED BY: A REGULATING VALVE ARRANGED IN THE BOX AND PIVOTED ON A SHAFT IN THE PLANE BETWEEN THE ADJACENT REGENERATOR SOLE FLUE SECTIONS, IN THE VICINITY OF THE COMMUNICABLE CONNECTION FOR BOTH SOLE FLUE SECTIONS FOR MOVEMENT INTO THE PATH OF FLOW BETWEEN EITHER SOLE FLUE SECTION AND THE COMBUSTION MEDIA AND WASTE HEAT GAS VALVES, THE SHAFT OF SAID REGULATING VALVE BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED OUTSIDE THE BOX WITH THE DRIVE MEANS FOR THE WASTE HEAT GAS AND COMBUSTION MEDIA VALVES TO COMPLETELY OPEN THE PATH OF FLOW THROUGH EACH FLUE SECTION AND PARTIALLY CLOSE THE 